The rhythm of routine has been resonating in my spirit. I’ve been able to enjoy routine since January 1 and will get another week’s dose of it next week before I embark on my trip for Asia. Yesterday when the cold rain was falling, I rejoiced in the privilege I had to return to a warm, comfortable, dry home to enjoy a quiet evening of relaxation and preparation for the next day (it turns out that I had very little time to relax since I was busy preparing for my weekend trip to Danville, IL, but it was still nice to be home!). One of the less desirable aspects of routine in Grand Rapids, however, is shoveling snow. Last night we got our second significant snowfall, so I spent 20 minutes this morning clearing my driveway. Thankfully, I have a 6-week trip to Asia coming up, so I’ll miss most of the rest of the snowfalls. I do like the beauty of a snowfall and I appreciate the good exercise that some shoveling provides, but I don’t think I’ll cry about what I’m missing when I’m in the warm temperatures of Asia!
Though the past few weeks have been loaded down with work, I’m thankful for the daily strength God gives. I posted the hymn “Day by Day” on my bathroom mirror and have relished the words of that beloved song. My favorite words are “He whose heart is kind beyond all measure gives unto each day what He deems best.”
Someone recently asked for the Songhai word for “fight.” I’m not sure what their purpose was in that request, but I passed it along to the missionary coordinator over this project. He replied with the following:
You didn’t know what you were getting yourself into when you asked for “fight” in Songhai! Not sure who wants to fight in Songhai, or why, but there are several words that can fit, depending on the context. I once heard in a linguistic class that you can tell a lot about a culture by the words that have a lot of synonyms! Well, here’s what we have in Songhai – take your pick! (I’ve included a few scripture references for where any words are used in our NT!)
addaawa, alfitina (Act 17:5, 19:40), yenje (Mat 26:5; Luk 12:51) – quarrel or fight, verbal or physical
citi (Mat 7:1-2), kakaw (Mk 8:11; Jn 6:52) – dispute, disagreement, debate (similar to yenje, but not as heated!)
dukur (Mat 18:34; Act 16:22) – being angry
gurje (Gen 32:24,28) – coming to blows with someone or a battle
kalafu – publicly disagree with, oppose, or contradict someone – kind-of in between citi and yenje!
tangam (Mat 12:30; 1Tim 6:12) – generally has the idea of war, to fight against something, to contest for something
tonye (Act 7:27; 15:10) – to blame, accuse, tease, be aggressive
wangu (Gen 39:10; 49:19) – the primary word for a war or battle, but can also mean just to disagree with someone!
Hope you find what you’re looking for! Let me know if you have any other questions!
I haven’t heard back from the inquirer yet, but I’m sure he’s blown away by the complicated response! Anyone want to help us translate the Bible into Songhai??
I leave tonight to head towards Danville, IL, for my Sunday meeting at Faith Baptist Church. The weather is definitely not conducive to driving 5 hours, but I’m hoping and praying things will clear up as the day progresses. I heard that northern IN may get 15 inches today. Yikes! Please pray for traveling safety and effective ministry.
thank you for the reminder of “he whose heart is kind beyond all measure gives unto each day what he deems best”. I sure don’t understand some of things happening in the lives of our family but my trust is in God who knows best.